Automatic gate-controlling and marker-tripping mechanism



I L. A. COGSWELL. AUTOMATIC GATE CONTROLLING AND MARKER TRIPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, I918.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

I| I l l n I I u I |I Zde? 62'. figywzml Zea? r L. A. COGSWELL. AUTOMATIC GATE CONTROLLING AND MARKER TRIPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. 1918.

1,366,889, Patented Jan. 25,1921.

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L. A. COGSWELL. AUTOMATIC GATE CONTROLLING AND MARKER TRIPPING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1918.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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ping Mechanism,

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, operated upon by the machine,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEANDER acoeswnnn or MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGN'OB ro LACENE MANUFACTURING COMPANY. or MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A 'conrona- I T1011 01* MAINE.

AUTOMATIC GATE-CONTROLLING AND MARKER-TRIPPING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Application filed Marceau, 1918. Serial No. 223,679.

'10 all 'wlzmwit mm concern: a Be it known t at I, LEANDER A. Coos- WELL, a citizen of the United States, and I'CHltlGllt of l\'lanchester, in the ccuinty of ll illsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Gate-Controlling and Marker-Trip of which thefollowiug description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on. the drawings representing like parts.

M y present invention is an improved machine of the type of evening, grading and marking machines illustrated in the ll. S. patents to Elmer P. Nichols, such for example as Reissue No. 12,288, dated Novemher 22, 1904, and No. 841,809, dated January 22, 1907, upon evening and grading machines. The object of the invention is to mechanism, as shown in E. P. Nichols Patent, No. 1,104,378, dated July 21, 1914.

is herein illustrated, I have shown the in-.

vention embodied in the well-known Nichols grading machine for grading stock and marking it in accordance with its grade, but it will be understood that the improvement in the gate controlling, opening, closing and locking mechanism is not limited to machines for grading and marking, but is equally applicable to machines for cutting, trimming and evening the sole in accordance with the grading v, mechanism. Therefore, the invention applies to both evening and grading machines, evening and marking machines, and the grading, evening and marking machines, being illustrated with a grading and marking machine for simplicity of the drawings and clearness of description,

Important features of the invention consist in mechanism for controlling the gate; in improved arrangements affording a greatly increased range for raising and lowpermitting sole blanks, taps and the like, to be fed into and of varying thicknesses, without resetting or readjustment-;improved means to enable the machine to operate, automatically, upon sole blanks, taps or the like having a large range a in varying lengths; novel means to enable knives and 7 thus preventing the the gate and locking mechanism cooperating therewith to be held in predetermined posi tion by devices independent of the grading and indicating means, and for a longer time in the cycle of operation-otthe machines than has heretofore been possible, thus enabling extremely short stock to be operated upon, mechanism enabling the devires for determining the grade of work to be set and actuated at one spot on the work, and the gate closing instrumentalities to be actuated by another part of the work, together with additional improvements and advantages.

l'lc -etofoi'e in machines of this type, either in the grading and marking machines, or in grading, marking and evening Inachines, the work, such as a sole blank, tap or the like, is fed through a gate and into the machine by engagement with the feeding rolls. The sole blank also actuated the gate closing device and set the evening grade marking mechanism by engagement with a feeler or feelers upon predetermined portions of the blank, and the passing of the sole out of the machine,

opened the gate, permitting a succeedmg.

the grading of the new blank. My present invention 5 accomplishes the result above briefly explained, and I provide means c0- operating with the feeler mechanism to maintain the gate closed even after the blank has passed out of contact with the feelers, gate opening devices to be actuated'to open the gate until the proper time and until the machine is ready to receive a. successive blank. This mechanism is adjustable, easily rendered operative or inoperative, and is eflicient in use, rendering the machine more automatic, and ca;- pable of operating upon shorter stock than was formerly possible.

My improved machine also has provision for actuating the feeler mechanism, which trolled so as to prevent a successive blank grades the stock and sets the marking, or marking and evening devices, operable upon 7 or by a predetermined portion of the stock, and the gate controlling devices operable upon or by a different part of the stock, although in accord with present practice, and as shown herein, the feeler and hence ate closing device, and the gate opening evice are in alinement relatively with the path of travel of stock through the machine.

In order to provide a suitable distance for the gate opening and closing mechanism to allow for the operation of the machine upon soles having a larger variationin thickness than formerly, I provide a. recess adjacent the feeler'mech-anism,and the gate opening member, permitting considerable lift or throw in the gate opening and closing devices, so that a considerably greater distance is traversed thereby.

I have also devised novel mechanism for actuating the marking devices to mark the orade of the stock by stamping thereon at predetermined time during the cycle of operations of themachine, said marking devices being set to the proper marking figure by the actuation of thefeeling apparatus and then is automatically actuated or tripped by the stock itself. In the prior constructions of Nichols evening machines, separate feedin rolls were actuated by the stock which couh be utilized to trip the stamping devices, but in my present machine for grading and marking, I have greatly simplified the construction, and eliminated the second set of rolls. and therefore it was necessary to devise apparatus which would actuate or trip the stamping and marking devices. I have accomplished this result by automatic means engaged in a predetermined. time during travel of the work through the machine, this automatic tripping apparatus being adis tinct novelty, and independently of the gate opening mechanism heretofore described.

Other features of the invention,- novel combinations of parts and advantages will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a machine for grading and marking,-

Figure} is a side view, partly in cross section, at a machine illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a: plan view and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view longitudinally through the machine.

/ The gate controlling mechanism will be first described. As shown in the drawings, a grading and marking machine of the Nichols type of said patent is'illustrated, wherein the frame 1 has mounted at the forward or lec'eiv-i ng end of the ma- 65 chine a pair of feeding rolls 2 and 3, the

well

lower roll being mounted in sliding journal bearings and normally pressed upwardly by springs, the upper roll being vertically m justable in. its sliding bearings by rotation of the gears 4, 4, engaged by worms 5 5, on the shaft 6 as in said Nichols Patent No. 1,10%,378. The top of the frame 1 is preferably in the form of a table. on the forward port-ion 7 of said top are lugs 8, 8, at either side of the machine, said lugs forming pivots for the studs 9, 9, carrying the gate 10, said gate carrying a central depending member 11, adapted to rest of the table 7, when the gate 10 is l0\\'8l0(. This gate is adapted to be raised and lowcred on its pivot studs 9,- stock being fed thereunder between 'the adjustable guides 12, 12, during the operation of the machine. A bracket 13 at the front of the machine to receive the stock is usually provided. It is important that this gate be maintained closed, after a piece of stock has been fed into the machine, until the cycle ot the machine including the setting of the marking or stamping mechanism and in case of an evening machine of the cutting knives as well, be allowed to perform their respective functions before the succeeding sole is fed into the machine. The gate controlling mechanism therefore, is of great importance. Also it is desirable to have the gate or its member 11, lifted or raised, automatically, :1 sufiicient vertical height to allow the thickest stock on which the machine would operate, to pass thereunder. These two features, '1'. 0., controlling the opening of the gate and also the lift or height to which the gate may thus be opened, constitute, in practice, the limit of speed of operation for the entire machine, the soles being either fed in automatically through the gate or by hand as soon as the opening of the gate permits the succeeding sole to be fed therethrough. By having the depending gate piece 11 hold the gate 10 slightly raised, the side guides for the sole 12, 12, may extend underneath the gate and almost directly to the feed rolls 2 and 3, thus guiding the stock into the rolls accurately and inpredetermined lateral position.

Cooperating with the feeding rolls 2 and 3 tocontinue the feeding action on the work, and carry it through the machine, is an endless chain carrier, 15, actuated by sprocket wheels 16 and 17 with the chain. projecting through an appropriate slot 18 therefor in the top central portion or bed 19 of the machine. Adjacent the chain carrier 15 and at each side thereof I provide a recessed or deepened portion 20, in said bed, substan= ti-ally below the normal level 19 and below the to of the carryingchain 15. This reces's-2 enables the feeling mechanism or shoe, to be described, to drop a substantial distance below the top of the carrier when the sole is fed completely past the shoe.

upon the top slot 23 retains the forked end of this lever to the link, with the play or lost motion permitted by the length of the slot 23. This rock-lever 24. is pivoted at 26 to a bracket 27 having a pair of upstanding lugs receiving said pivot 26, and the other arm 28 of the rock lever extends beyond said pivot and downwardly as shown at 29;"carrying a roll 30 on a stud 31v projecting from the depending portion 29. This roll is in the path or a cam 32 secured to a rockshatt 33, having a locking arm 34 extending at right angles thereto and substantially par allel with the line of travel for the stock, said arm extending approximately midway over the feeding chain 15. The rockshatt 33 is suitably mounted in bearings 35 and 36 extending from a crossbar 37 secured to the machine frame. Between this crossbar and a similar crossbar 38, is a presser foot 40,- yieldingly secured to said crossbars by rods 41, 41, normally pressed downwardly by coiled springs 42, 42. This presser holds.

the stock in firm engagement with the carrier as said stock is slid thereunder in being fed through the machine. Adjustably secured to thearm' 34 is a detecting device or shoe 44, having a curved foot 45 adapted to be engaged by the incoming stock and lifted as said stock is fed by the point to which the shoe 44 is adjusted on the arm 34, a set screw 43 holding said shoe in its adjusted position. The lower portion of this detector or shoe is forked to straddle the presser and the carrier chain 15, so that said detector will normally be lowered below the level of the carrying portion of the chain 15 and contact with the bottom of the recess 20. in this position (see Fig. 3) the gate 10 is 45 raised, not only by the weight and leverage of the shoe 44, but by the action of a contractile spring 46, having one end secured to the machine frame and its other and 'secured to the cam 32. In this position the gate piece 11 is raised and a piece of stock may be fed to the rolls 2 and 3 and from thence on through the machine, raising the presser 40 andstriking against the curved beveled faces of the toot 45 ot the shoe 44..

raising said shoe, lifting the arm 34, releasing the cam 32 from the roll 30 and permitting the gate to drop by gravity, the slot 23 allowing for a still turther rocking action in the gate operating lever 24, if necessary.

The action of the mechanism responsive to the lifting of the detector or shoe 44. setting the devices for stam ing the stock in accordance with the gra e determined by said shoe, is similar to that of said prior patents and does not constitute a portion of my present invention. This setting mechanism includes a rack wheel 50 having the racks 5.1. and 52 thereon, pawls 54 and 53 respecti rely in position to actuate said wheel to transmit appropriate movement to the marking wheel 55, lock the same in position, and stamp the rade on the stock as determined by the rolls 2 and 3, all in Well known manner and as fully described in said prior Nichols patents, excepting so far as the tripping oi the devices to bring the stamping wheel 55 down onto the work, my improved and automatic mechanism being one of the features to be herein described.

The gate controlling mechanism, as above 30 described, depends for opening and closing, as well as for the extent 01 throw or lift in the opening and closing action, upon the action of the shoe 44, and as it is desirable to adjust this shoe, longitudinally on the arm 34, for particular work, it frequently happens that, when short stock particularly is being fed through, the stock will be ted past the position of the shoe 44, permitting said shoe to drop and thereby opening the so gate, before said stock has traversed the rest of the machine and received its stamping or grade marking, its cutting action, i. a, before the cycle of the machine has been completed, which cycle has been set by the action oi the detector mechanism and the pawls and rack wheel in this type ot machine. Under such circumstances, theretore, the danger cxists that a successive piece oi stock being ted in as soon as the gate is opened, would strike the mechanism and detector while the preceding piece ot stock was still being acted upon, and therefore the proper operation and function of the machine would be negatived or the parts damaged and broken. To obviate thisdiliiculty, and

to enable the machine to operate upon short stock, thus making it more automatic and with the capacity for larger range of work, l provide a device independent of the shoe. 11a 44 to control the gate opening operation. To this end I afiix a member 60, attaching same to the arm 34 by a clamping nut 61, said device having a forked extension to span the presser 40 and chain 15 and to extend downwardly substantially the same distance as the lowermost portion of the shoe 44, so that both the member 60 and shoe 44 will rest in the recess 20 when in normal po sition and with the gate open. This member 60 may be spaced along the arm- 34 at any desired point, in such position as to still maintain contact with the stock t'ed through the machine after said stock has passed the shoe 44, to still hold the gate 10 closed and thus prevent a successive blank being fed into the machine until the machine is ready to receive it. Consequently the member 60 cooperates with the shoe 44, said shoe efiecting the raising of the lever 34 thereby cons 13o trolling the closing of the gate, because the onward feeding action of the work will cause it to strike the shoe'44 first, and thereupon the member 60 will control the lowering of the lever 34 and consequently the opening of the gate, holding said gate closed long after the stock has passed the shoe 44. It will be readily appreciated that the member 60 is adjustable longitudinally in order to control V itself. After the the gate opening action at any predetermined moment in the operation of the machine, depending upon the length of stock being operated on. It will also be appreciated that this independent gate controlling member may be positioned for contact with the sole blank and actuation thereby at either side of the blank, if desired, as well as on the central portion. A separate bar could be used to carry this gate closing member if desired, but I find it convenient to mount the member 60-on the same arm as that carrying the shoe. The member 60 is adjusted to effect the gate opening actuation of the machine, according to the will of the operator and free and independent of the normal gate opening actuation secured by the shoe Malone.

In the machine as herein shown my novel and automatic'mechanism for tripping the marker or stamper to mark or stamp upon the sole the grade, number, or the like, in which the machine has found any particular sole to be classed, is actuated by the sole sole blank has been fed through the machine until the heel or other portion desired to bearthe mark'or stamp, has passed through the machine sufliciently so that itisqready to receive theimpress of the stamp 55, I provide means for the sole to strike a lever and secure a quick vertical reciprocation of the stamping wheel 55. .This tripping mechanism is simple and eliicient in construction and automatic in action. The stamping or marking wheel 55 is mounted upona vertically reciprocable post mounted in vertical gnideways as is usual in the said Nichols machines. The coiled spring 71 is mounted on a bracket 72 secured to the "frame of the machine and normally forces the st 70 carrying the stamping wheel 55 ownwardly, to effect the stamping upon the sole. Secured to the sideof the frame 1 on-a pivotal mounting at 73 is a lever 74, the top of said lever 75 having a shoulder to engage a trip member 76, the vertical face 77 of the top of said lever being held normally in contact with a stop 78 secured to, the frame, tension of the spring 79 having one end attached to the arm 80 on said lever and the other. end secured to a pin 81 on the frame. On this lever 74 is :1. lug 82, in position where it is in contact with the short arm 83 on a rockshaft' 84, the other or long arm 85 also secured to the rockshaft, having an upstandthrough the masses ing portion 86 provided with a beveled face 87 plrojecting in the path of the sole blank as t e same is fed through the machine by the carrier 15. I refer to form the upstanding end 86 of this lever as a forked member having corresponding beveled faces 87 on each, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, which forked end projects above and overlaps the correspondingly reduced end part 91 of the presser member 40 (see Fig. 3). The sole blank when fed between the resser 40 and the carrier 15 thus is compeiled to engage the beveled faces 87, forcing downwardly the lever 85, turning the rockshaft 84 and thereb causlng the short arm 83 to rock the lever 4 against the tension of its spring 7 9 and disengaging the end 75 from the trip member 76. Releasing the member 76 permits a clutch, of any suitable type, to connect the gear 92 on the shaft 93, which actuates the chain of gears 94, 95 and 96 the latter being formed with a cam to release the post 70, permit the spring 71 to force said post downwardly until the stamping wheel 55 engages the work, as it passes'thereunder, and thereupon the cam of said gear 96 again engages the post 70 and raises it against the pressure of its spring 71, holding it in position for the second reciprocation, the clutch actuating this train of gears bein automatically disconnected after a sing e revolution by the action of the stud 66 on the brake 97, disconnecting the clutch, all as shown in the prior Nichols patents.

My automatic tripping mechanism is so arranged that the beveled faces 87 may be projected in the path of the sole blank at any desired point, thus permitting the sole blank to actuate the trip ing mechanism and effect the stamping o the sole by the wheel 55 at any desired point. As herein shown, the tripping device is so as to effect the stamping on the sole immediately after the heel or forwardl moving part of the sole has passed under t e stampmg wheel 55, the post 70 thereupon effecting its reciprocation and stamping the sole between the figure or number on the bottom of the Wheel and the anvil 100. It will be appreciated, however, that I may arrange the tripping lever 85 of suitable length so that the sole might be fed almost entirely through and out of the machine, before the stamping thereon. In case, for example, it was desired to stamp the mark, grade, trademark or other insignia carried by the wheel 55 and post 70 on the toe portion, shank or other part of the sole, my present invention contemplates the feasibility of such results. As the capability of my novel tripping mechanism is of wide and general sco e, I wish to claim the same broadly.

aving already described the operation of the gate controlling mechanism and of the tripping mechanism, it will be appreciated device when desired, in machines of this type, particularly when the machine includes evenlng mechanism, or cutting knives. The inclusionof the tripping mechanism, ever, in a machine for grading and marking only, enables an extremely simple and efficient mechanism to efiect the marking, and at any predetermined point in the path of travel of the work, rendering the combination of the gate controlling and tripping devices to be peculiarly and efiicient machine for grading and mark in making this machine much more automa 1c than has been possible heretofore.

M invention is further described and define in the form of claims as follows.

1. A machine of the kind described, adapted to operate on stock, comprising stock feeding means, a gate adapted to close when the stock is fed therethrough, stock grading devices, automatic mechanism to mark the stock controlled by said grading devices, and

a plurality of stock engagin the gate closed, until a pre etermined time in the cycle of operations of the machine.

2. A machine of the kind described, adapted to operate on stock, comprising stock means to hold feeding means, a gate adapted to close when the stock is. fed therethrough, stock gradingdevices, automatic mechamsm to mark the stock controlled by said grading devices and an independently adjustable member engaging the stock after saidstock has passed from contact with the grading devices to hold the gate closed, until a predetermined time in the cycle of operations of the machine.

3. A machine of the kind described, adapted to operate on stock, comprising stock feedingmeans, 9. ate adaptedto close when the stockis fed t erethrou h, stock engaglng devices, automatic mec anism to mar the stock controlled b said engaging devices, means actuated y the stock to close the gate, anda member controlling the openhowbeneficial 1n a simple I ed to operate on stock,

' able gate positioned 1n anism to hol k tuated by said detectin ing of the gate independently of the action of said gate closing means, said means being actuated by the forwardly moving end of the stock to close the gate, and said independent member being actuated by the complete passage of the stockto open the gate.

4. A machine of the class described, adapted to operate on stock, comprising feeding mechanism to feed the stock through the machine, a movable gate, means to control the opening and closing of said gate actuated by the stock during its feeding action, said gate controlling means including a plurality of stock engaging devices adapted for controlling action by the stock at different points on the stock. 7

5. A machine of the class described adapt comprising means to carry the stock through the machine, a movadvance of. the stock feeding means, gate controlling devices arranged over the path of said stock feeding means, and adapted to be actuated by the stock fed therethrough, said machine having recesses below the carrier,'and said gate controlling means includingva shoe adapted to rest upon the top of the stock and to drop below the carrier into said reeessto produce a greater vertical moving action on the gate than the maximum throu h the machine. v

' 6. g machine of the class described, adapted to, grade and mark stock, comprising feeding means, grade-detecting mechanism arranged for detecting the thin 8 ct in a predetermined portion of said stoc means for marking the rade so detected, locking mechd the marking means in the position to which it is adjusted by the detectthickness of stock fed in'g mechanism, in combination with additional stock engaging devices, operative after the stock has pased from the detecting mechanism to'maintain the mechanism as acmechanism. V In testimony whereo I have signed my name to this s ecificatiom LE NDERA. COGSWELL; 

